Serial interfaces have been widely used in data communication protocols. In these protocols, data are serialized and transmitted over optical fiber, wireless, copper wires, or other mediums. These protocols can be used, for example, to carry computer data files, voice data, and compressed video data.
Traditionally, most communication systems transmit multimedia data in compressed format. With such compressed data transmission systems, multimedia data is first compressed at the source. The compressed data is then transmitted over the serial communication link. At the destination, the data is decompressed and recovered before being displayed/sounded. The compress-transmit-decompress process of such protocols adds system complexity and cost. In addition, some content details may be lost by the compression and decompression process.
DVI (digital visual interface) or HDMI (high definition multimedia interface) protocols are used to transmit uncompressed video/audio data. However, these protocols require multiple pairs of wires to carry clock data and three components of the video signals (RGB or YCrCb), which makes the cable that interconnects the source and display devices very costly. In addition, limits in transmission distance also restrict the application of the DVI and HDMI protocols.
There is a need, therefore, for serial transmission protocols that can transmit uncompressed multimedia over a high speed serial communication channel.